Trinity/After Pentecost · The Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Exodus 20:1-17
The Ten Commandments
July 12, 2026
Overview & Insights
“And God spoke all these words… you shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:1–3)
Most people have some awareness of the Ten Commandments as a set of rules or laws but are less familiar with the significance of their relational context. Interpreters have also frequently examined the commands (law) in isolation from the narrative of Exodus 1–19. In the biblical context the commands are not abstractions of ethical principles. They are woven into a specific account in which the Lord had delivered, forgiven, redeemed, and formed the people. In the preceding chapter, the Lord had invited them into a special relationship as a “kingdom of priests” in relation to the world (19:5–6), and the people had accepted this invitation. The formation of Israel as the people of God began with their dramatic deliverance from bondage and continues in Exodus 20–23 with the giving of the first Sinaitic laws. The laws provided boundaries and instruction that protected and sustained the freedom introduced by the exodus.
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Commentary
Commentary on Exodus 20:1-17 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary exegesis reading the commandments as words for a freed people, appointed for the Third Sunday in Lent.
Enduring Word Bible Commentary Exodus Chapter 20 Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's verse by verse evangelical commentary on the giving of the law at Sinai.
Exodus 20 Commentary Precept Austin
A deep gathering of word studies, quotations, and cross references worked through the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 20:1 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregates classic commentaries on the opening of the Decalogue in one place.
Exodus 20, Expository Notes StudyLight
Thomas Constable's expository notes on the covenant and the structure of the commandments.
Background & Word Study
Exodus 20 in Hebrew Sefaria
The Hebrew text with English alongside and traditional Jewish commentary links for the Decalogue.
Exodus 20:1 Hebrew Interlinear BibleHub
Hebrew word by word with parsing and Strong's numbers for close study of the commandments.
Enter the Bible: Exodus Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary background on Exodus, Sinai, and the covenant.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What are these commandments?
Exodus 20 gives the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue) at Sinai, the heart of the covenant: love of God in the first commands, love of neighbor in the rest. They come as gift to a people God has already redeemed from Egypt.
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